March 20 (Bloomberg) -- Helbor Empreendimentos SA jumped
the most in more than four months after the homebuilder reported
profit that beat analysts’ estimates.

Shares rose 4.8 percent to 12.68 reais at the close of
trading in Sao Paulo, the biggest advance since November 1. It
was the best performer on the BM&FBovespa Small Cap index, which
slid 1.1 percent.

Earnings per share more than tripled in the fourth quarter
from the same period a year earlier to 1.044 reais, exceeding
the average estimate for 37 centavos among three analysts,
according to data compiled by Bloomberg after the company
released results late yesterday.

The results back up Helbor’s strategy to target faster
growing areas of the country as economic expansion stays
sluggish, Luiz Mauricio Garcia, an analyst at Banco Bradesco
SA’s brokerage unit, wrote in a note to clients dated today.

Brazil’s gross domestic product growth slowed to 0.9
percent last year from 2.7 percent in 2011.

Helbor gained 1 percent this year while the small cap index
declined 3.7 percent during that same period.